First Pictures of Our Grand...

It's A Girl! Meet my sweet granddaughter.~~~She was all cuddled up in her mommy:)
Needless to say it was love at first sight
for this MeMe
She kept hiding her face with her hand
Finally she looked at usand she waved her hand back and forth
Her profile

Her little foot

~~~~

Thank you God for your blessings on us!

Why Uncle Brent and Aunt sandy???

Someone asked me why we refer to ourselves as Uncle Brent and Aunt Sandy to Bailey, when Bailey is not our niece?

You are right. Actually Bailey is no relation to us at all. She was our sweet foster baby that we had for over a year before she went home. Bailey came to us straight from the hospital at birth. She remained with us for her first year and yes we grew VERY attached to this sweet lil girl...who wouldn't? Well Bailey like most babies said her first baby words while she was living here and yes they were "Da-Da" and "Ma Ma" after all that is what our birth kids call us... So she didn't know anything else.

We did not know until the end that Bailey was going to be returned to her family. So up until then we just treated Bailey and LOVED Bailey like we did our own babies.

But when the day came for her to go home, it was a little confusing for her because now she had 2 moms and 2 dads. Her mom asked us to remain in her life and she asked if we cared if Bailey called us Uncle Brent & Aunt Sandy and of course we were thrilled. We didn't care what she called us. We were just so thankful that we could still see and spend time with this sweet lil girl we had fallen in love with. Well, since then we've been Bailey's "un-ka Bent" and "Aunt Sanee" as she calls us.

We've also referred to ourselves with our last fosters (Trinton, Amberly and their lil brother Devon) as Aunt Sandy and Uncle Brent too. They too are still in our lives and actually we get them a couple of days a week because their family moved 4 minutes from us...so it's close.

We usually get Bailey about every other weekend and sometimes during the week or on special occasions too,because she lives about 20 minutes away,so not to far.

I love how things have worked out in our last foster placements and I love that our birth parents have become like family to us. It's been amazing and truly a blessing! Fostering took on a different meaning after Bailey's birth and our lives have forever changed thanks to one very special little girl...Bailey Alyssa.

News Pics I took of Bailey

Bailey and I played with the camera today:) If you would like to see more pics I took
of the Sweet Pea "Bailey" click on her name.
to visit my photo blog!

Flash Back Friday

Here is my "Flash Back Friday"
For this Friday I decided to share my first born baby with you.
God blessed Hubby and I with a precious little girl on Dec 2, 1989.
Our beautiful daughter Anna Brooke was born.
She was a wee tiny little 5 pound 14 oz baby. The day she was born was one of the happiest days of my life. I thought she was the most beautiful child I'd ever seen,and she was. She was perfect in every single way and we were the proudest parents on earth.
Now my sweet baby girl is going to have a sweet baby of her own! My first grandbaby is due Feb 1st.

I hope you enjoy these flashes from the past.
She was our pride and joy!

She got her daddy's dimple!

And her daddy's blue eyes!
Her mama's long fingers and height.
She was so adorable .

She was daddy's little girl from the start.


And my princess

She stole our hearts at first sight

She had us wrapped around her finger...and she still does today.

All babies are special, but there is something extra special about a firstborn.

As you can tell we are baby excited!!!!!!

Here is what others are saying to the question,
"What do you think Corey and Anna's baby is?"
Boy or girl?
~~~~~
Corey (The daddy)- It's a girl!
Anna (The Mommy)- It's a girl!
PawPaw Howell (My Hubby)- It's a boy!
MeMe Howell (Me)- I think it's a girl!
PawPaw Wesson(Corey's Dad)- It's a boy!
Nana Wesson(Corey's S-mom)- It's a girl!
Nanna Sharp(Corey's Mom)- It's a girl!
PawPaw Sharp (Corey's s-dad)- It's a girl!
Uncle Dylan(Corey's brother)- It's a boy!
Aunt Angie (Corey's aunt)- It's a boy!
Aunt Ashley(Anna's sister)- It's a girl!
Aunt Katie(Anna's sister)- It's a girl!
Uncle Jon (Anna's brother)- It's a girl!
Uncle Jacob (Anna's brother)- It's a girl!
Memaw Cole(Anna's g-grandmother)- It's a girl!
Nanny Buchanan(Anna's g-grandmother)- It's a girl!
Tiffany & Tyler (C & A's best friends)- It's a girl!
~~~We will find out tomorrow!!!!!

What will our baby be?

What will our grandbaby be? Tomorrow is the big day. We will get to find out if our new baby will wear pink or blue. Anna has her 3D/4D sonogram tomorrow and we are all excited! However, I just can't decide if I want it to be a boy or girl. I really just want a healthy little baby to love and it really doesn't matter one way of the other to me. When it's your first I think it really doesn't matter as much. I think mostly when it's your second baby you hope for the opposite of the first, but not always. So pink or blue is fine with us.

Why a baby boy would be perfect for our family... Trucks, cars, climbing trees,dirt, catching bugs, playing ball, and splashing in puddles. You can't help but love little boys. They are always up to something and they make every day of life an adventure. I think a baby boy would be so much fun! Corey would enjoy a little boy because he loves ball, fishing, hunting, and all the other guy things. I can just just see him fishing with a lil boy by his side or playing ball. Corey and his brother Dylan were spaced several years apart and Corey took up alot of time with his little brother, so he has had plenty of practice. I think Anna would be good with a boy too because she has never really been a girly girl like me(although if she has a girl she wants it to be girly). I think a baby boy would fit perfect in our world.

Why a baby girl would be perfect for our family...
Who doesn't like the color pink, sun dresses, hair bows, and painted toes???? I know I do. Girls have the cutest clothes and the selection is endless. Little girls are sooooo much fun! They really are sugar and spice and everything nice.
If Baby Wesson is a girl I know Corey's Mom & Step-Mom and of course the rest of their family would be thrilled ,because they have no girls in their family and they have all wanted a girl of their own. So the color pink would be a new and exciting thing for all of them:) As for our family, you know we love lil girls...just ask lil Bailey...lol I don't think we could love her anymore even if we had,had her ourselves. Corey would be the best(most protective) daddy ever to a lil girl. I can just see him taking his daughter to the daddy and daughter dances and running off any boys that come to date his daughter. I think Anna would be perfect with a lil girl because she is such a sweet girl herself that she could teach so much to her daughter just by the way she lives her own life.
I think a baby girl would fit perfect in our lives.

Oh my!
I can't decide. So I'll just leave it up to God to bless us with a baby that He thinks will fit perfectly in all our lives. We are so thankful for this baby...we are blessed!!!!

Let All Kinds Of Love Continue

Let All Kinds of Love ContinueBy Joyce Smith
~~~
She stood in the line at the grocery store,
Four children crying for candy;
He reached in his pocket, found four-dollar bills,
Friendly love continued grandly.

They sat in a pew their first Sunday there,
It’s the pew that is usually mine,
I stopped for a moment, introduced myself
Brotherly love continued just fine.

The old man came in and sat beside him
In the Bible class on Wednesday night,
When he saw that the old man couldn’t find a verse,
He let brotherly love be right.

A woman too young to be in a chair
And a man too young to be pushing,
Someone opened the door wide for them
Husbandly love came in rushing.

She stood next to me, the invitation given
The tears streamed down her cheeks,
I reached for her hand, she said, "Go with me?"
Sisterly love continued for weeks.

He sat on the couch reading the paper,
His little girl came up to him.
With a book in hand, "Daddy read to me."
Fatherly love continued with grins.

Just a dollar bill , a simple hand shake,
A helping hand from me to you,
Open door, hands to hold, Daddy taking time,
Will make all kinds of love continue.

But where did it start such a long time ago?
It started with hearts in Their hands.
Where Christ Gave His life and God gave His Son,
That’s the place brotherly love began.

So do what you can every day of your life
To share the love Christ gave to you
Share it with others so they can be saved
Let's let all kinds of love continue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Used with permission from my friend Mimmy
aka Joyce Smith
August 17, 2008 Stop by Mimmy's Blog to read more of her wonderful poetry.

Homeschool Question!?!

I know a couple of you homeschool and I have a question. Have any of you used AO Lifepacs????? I know that this is last minute ,but I've decided that I want to change out our homeschool curriculum for Jacob this year and I was wondering about AO. I can have it delivered within 3 days,so I still have time before school starts Sep 1 even though I'll probably have to spend all weekend on my yearly planner.
I liked the k12 but Jacob got bored with it last year. Plus I'm tired of the constant having to look up on the computer every day what he has to do. I'd rather just have it in a book at my finger tips.
Does AO have the daily plans set for you or do you have to create your own lesson plans?
Any help would be much appreciated and the sooner the better.
Thanks Sandy

Got a baby in the family?

If so, then you need to hear about this giveaway!
My friend Kris over at Hands, House, and Heart full is hosting a baby shoe giveaway.
These are not your average baby shoes... They are much cuter than that and some lucky person is going to win a pair of their choice over at Kris blog! If you have a baby in your family or know someone who does, then you for sure need to stop by Kris site to enter.
These shoes came from Jessica over at Baby Things By Jessica . She made these adorable baby shoes for her baby and now she is making them for others. So please stop by Kris blog to enter her giveaway and then stop by Jessica's site and see for yourself.
I know my lil grandbaby is going to have to have several of these as soon as MeMe finds out if Baby Wesson is a boy or girl:) I think you'll like them too and that is why I had to share this giveaway with you.

Movie Quote

"There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing...when do you think is the time to love somebody the most; when they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain't through learning -- because that ain't the time at all. It's when he's at his lowest and can't believe in himself 'cause the world done whipped him so. When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is."
– Raisin in the Sun

Let Your Home Be A Witness

If you and your household
Were raptured today
Or removed from this earth
In some accidental way.

Who would be there
To wander and roam
And sort through your belongings
And clean out your home?

Would your home be a witness
To the Lord whom you claim?
Or,would the stash in your cabinets
Dishonor His name?

What's on your calendar?
Is the evidence clear
That you gave time to others
Not just your career?

Would your CD collection
If weighed in a balance
Bring glory to God
Or praise eartly talents?

Are your priorities evident
In the way your home looks?
Would Jesus be comfortable
Reading your books?

Do your magazines reveal
Unwholesome desires?
Do your videos glorify
Murderers and liars?

Do your tax records show
That your tithing was sparse?
That the truth you proclaimed
Was all just a farce?

What's in your garage?
Do your possessions reflect
That your greatest desire
Is earthly respect?

Will all those people
Who enter your space
Feel the presence of Jesus
Or the world in that place?

Will they want to know more
About the God who forgives?
Will they reject Him completely
Because of the way that you lived?

So clean out your closets
And sweep out your shame
Let your home be a witness
To the life you proclaim.
~Author unknown to me~

Sandy's World

So what's happening in my world??? Today I have a roast cooking and company coming over for dinner. Hubby is working in the yard,the boys are playing the wii rock band, Ashley's taking pictures, Katie is babysitting over at Nicole's,and as for me,I've spent the last few days working on my newest project. I am taking all my pictures from our "real" family albums and I'm scanning them all ,along with my digital pictures ,and then uploading them to my online Family Albums...I'll share the link with you when it's complete. I never realized just how many pictures I've taken through the years of my children/family,but I'm sooooo glad that I did. The pictures are precious to me,even more now that the kids are getting older.
I'm starting with my pictures from when Hubby and I dated, wed, had the kids, on up to the present. I also plan to scan my mom's pictures soon. If you want a good site for storing your pictures, I use http://www.myphotoalbum.com/ and have been for a while now.
I store my pictures online, on my computer, and I burn all of them to disk. So many times I've heard of people just uploading their pictures and storing them on the computer. But when a computer crashes and most eventually do, you will loose your pictures. So it's worth it to me to store mine. Anyhow, that's it for my world. Have a great weekend everyone!

It Doesn't Matter

*It Doesn't Matter*
It doesn't matter how much you have,
But how much you've shared.
It doesn't matter what kind of house you have,
But whether your love made it a home.
It doesn't matter how many friends you can count,
But how many friends you can count on.
It doesn't matter how well you do in life,
But how much good you do.
It doesn't matter how much love you have gathered,
But how much you've given away.

Update on Baby Wesson

Today Anna had another OB visit and everything went well!!!! MeMe (me) got to hear it's heart beat for the 1st time! I was really excited that I got to go with Anna. It was really exciting!!!

We've been kinda worried about Anna's small size and no weight gain, but the doctor said that she believes that Anna will start gaining now that she is over the nausea. She was happy that atleast Anna hadn't lost any more weight this time. Baby's heartbeat was strong at 150.

She said that she would be doing a sonogram on Anna's next visit "Sept 17". She also told us that she planned to give Anna another shot for the rh- when Anna gets to 26 weeks.

I couldn't help but stop and just praise God that this visit went well and that Anna has gone this far. After loosing the first baby it has made us so nervous but also it makes us realize how precious this one is.

If you want to keep up with my precious grandbaby-2-be you can click the link above that says "Baby Updates". If you get a moment click over their and vote for boy or girl. We will learn if it is pink or blue for us on Aug 29th. The other big news is,

that my sweet friend Jenny has offered to host a Bellabowz giveaway on my blog in honor of our sweet baby. So once we find out if it's pink or blue we will start the giveaway:) I am really excited about this Jenny! Thank you sooooo much.

Please continue to Keep Anna & Baby Wesson in your prayers.

((hugs))Sandy

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Happy Birthday Jacob Noah! I can't believe how fast time has passed.
It seems yesterday we were celebrating your birth
and today we are celebrating your 8th birthday!!!
Happy birthday Jacob.
We love you soooooo much!
Love, Mom(Click on his pictures to see them enlarged)

And The Winner Is.....

Today's the day and the winners have been chosen!!!!
I would like to thank everyone who entered my blog anniversary "magazine" giveaway.
I used random.org to choose the winners.
Winner #1 for a one year subscription to the magazine of your choice is entry #8
"Brooke" from "Keeping Up With Hunter"

Winner #2 for a one year subscription to the magazine of your choice is entry #12

"Deanna" from "Jolin Country"

Congratulations Brooke & Deanna!!!!
Please stop by and congratulate them:)

Forever In Our Hearts

Life Is But A Stopping Place Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what's to be,
A resting place along the road,
to sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
but never meant to stay...
Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know.
For some the journey's quicker,
For some the journey's slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We'll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the lord
~~~~Thank you GeGaw for all you've given us.We miss you & we love you for always.Until we meet again...
Brent, Sandy,and The Kids

Please continue to remember

Just wanted to stop in and let you know that Hubby's grandmother just passed away while ago. She stayed with us for 6 days ,but went home to be with the Lord this morning. Please continue to keep my Hubby and his family in your prayers. Thank you all so much.
Sandy

Daily Devotion

Verse-Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Thoughts-
Waiting on the Lord, being still. Waiting with anticipation of what He will do. He comes and He renews us in any situation, He gives us the strength that we need and He comes just when we need Him to. He is never too late, though we look at our circumstances and wonder where are you Lord, when will you be here. It is so easy to trust when we soar,but we also need to trust when we are not soaring. Trust him in the waiting. He will be there and give us the strength that we need. Wait on the Lord and sing Praises to His name!

Just a quick update...

I only have a second,but I wanted to stop in and update. As you can imagine these last few days have been pretty stressful for all of us. Between football practice 5 days a week, 5 birthdays, Hubby's grandmother being sick, and hubby working 7 days a week...life's been busy...I really mean chaotic. So here is the update....
Hubby's grandmother is still with us, but she is no better . She has not woke up since Tuesday morning and at this point they are saying she won't. Pretty much it is hour by hour with her now. They said she could be this way for hours or maybe even a few more days... No one really knows.
~~~~~As for the birthday kids, I took Jon & his friends out last night for his birthday and then had boys over night... that stayed up alllllll night...until I ran them to bed(I really mean to the couch & floors) at around 4 AM.
Then today we had a party for Jacob and Bailey. They had a really good time. I really appreciate everyone that took the time to come out and spend it with them... It really meant a lot to me...thank you so much!
Tonight, Ashley is celebrating her birthday with friends...so I have a house full of girls here tonight and the boys are gone.
As you can imagine, August is a busy month for me. Almost everyone in our house has an August birthday. Between birthdays and back to school...August is always a hard month on me.
Anyhow, that is about it. I will try to add a few pictures tomorrow or next week. I'm just toooo tired tonight.
Please continue to remember Hubby's grandmother and her kids & grandkids.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers...I really appreciate it.

Prayer Request

Another Update
We just got in from the hospital and I wanted to update you all. Brent's grandmother has had no improvement. She is not on any type of support except oxygen in her noes and she is on a morphine drip for pain. Pretty much she hasn't been conscience since Tuesday morning and they aren't expecting that to change. Pretty much they've said it could be hours or maybe days. I'm really sad to have to share that here,but I know many of you have asked and have been praying and I really appreciate that. Please continue to keep her in your prayers and remember her children & grandchildren. When you have a wonderful grandmother like her you just don't want to let go of her. I still believe in miracles and I'm still praying too.
~~~~~~~
Aug 6-Update on Hubby's grandmother
Nothing has changed. She is still in a deep sleep kind of like a coma. They are telling us she is probably not going to wake up. My MIL said it was just a matter of time now. However, she is not in pain and we are thanking God for that. Just please continue to keep her in your prayers and keep her children and grandchildren in your prayers as you can imagine it's a tough time for them right now.
~~~~~~~
Aug 5th
Hey Prayer Buddies.
I would like to ask you all to help me pray for my hubby's grandmother "Mrs Hunt". She had a stroke yesterday and isn't doing very well right now.
Thank you for helping me pray.
Sandy

My Blog-iversary Giveaway

I'm Hosting My Very 1st Giveaway! Yes, you heard it right!
In celebration of my up-coming 2 year blog-iversary (Aug 12th).

I am giving away "2" one year subscriptions to the magazine of your choice, from the ones listed above. It's the gift that keeps giving all year long!!!! So what do you need to do to be entered???? 1. Tell about my blog-iversary giveaway on your blog. or

2. If you have a twitter tell about my blog-iversary on it. I would love to be posted on both, but one is fine:)3. After that, come back here and leave me a comment on THIS POST and let me know that you want to be entered in the giveaway and tell me where you shared about my blog-iversary giveaway(step 1 or 2)
The drawing will be August 12th and the winners will be featured on my blog!
Thanks so much and best wishes!

MckLinky Blog Hop- Encouragement

Verse-Psalm 18:28
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Thoughts-
Whenever we face situations in our lives where we do not know what to do, God lights the way in our darkness . We may even say "oh it just dawned on me" and that is because it is as if a light has been suddenly turned on and we have the answer and we know what to do. We receive counsel and wisdom from God and we can count on Him to come through in every situation.
Jesus said in John 8:12 " I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. We are not limited to the ways of this world or its counsel. God's counsel and wisdom has been made available to us . He knows everything, He knows the past, the future, and the hearts of men, who could we trust more or find more dependable than God.
Even in the small matters in our lives, the everyday things not just major situations God is speaking and guiding us. We will hear Him, if we listen.
This week's Blog Hop is your favorite quote, spiritual passage , life lesson, saying, PHOTO or encouraging thought. Post your favorite or most meaningful, and then include a sentence or two about what it means to you personally, and how it can encourage other people in their lives.

Howellville Updates

Just wanted to stop by from Howellville and say hello! I just realized I haven't posted all weekend...sorry. So what's been up with us? Well, let me think....hmmmmm What did I do this weekend?
The highest point from this weekend was my friend Sheila calling me from Tennessee. I hadn't talked to her in a while and we needed to catch up. We talked until the phone went dead. I was sooooo happy to hear from her and to know she was doing good. Hubby has offered to take me up there to visit her & Stacy and possibly my friend Christine too sometime soon... All my childhood best friends moved to Tennessee. What was wrong with GA????
Next, was finding out that one of my best friends from my teen years has a little boy who is on my little boy's football team. So we set at the ball field Saturday catching each other up on our families, friends, lives, etc So over all ,my weekend could be named "Reconnecting"because that's what I did.
This past weekend was our tax free weekend in GA. So I shopped a little. I took Katie Friday night. We had a Mama & daughter night out. We went to eat and then clothes shopping for just her. I enjoyed spending time with her. We had a great time!
On Saturday, I shopped after ball practice for Jacob & Bailey's birthday's. They had some really good deals and then with no tax made it even better:) I got most of their shopping done.
On Sunday, we went to church service at our church. After church, we had a benefit lunch for a lady who has cancer. Our whole family attended that.
Then that evening, we went to a birthday dinner for my brother-in-law in the park and after that we rode over to my mother-in-laws and let the kids fish in her pond. I forgot my camera...grrrrrr so I don't have pics to share this time. The weekend was busy for me, but it was great!!!
This week will also be pretty active for me. The twin's birthday is tomorrow. So I'm dedicating my blog to them this week. I plan to post more pictures and to tell you more about them.
Just bare with me. Life is ALWAYS chaotic for me in August ,with 6 birthdays and starting a new school year. If only I had a few more hours in every day...now that would be nice.